Lineup: Caps vs. Bruins

There were a few early-morning changes to the lineup for the preseason home opener against the Boston Bruins at Verizon Center.

Tomas Fleischmann, who was originally supposed to play on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble, is "hurting" but Coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn't go as far as to call it an injury. "No, he is hurting," Boudreau said when asked if Fleischmann was injured. "It's preseason, there's no sense [playing when] we've got 31 guys here. If you're hurting a little bit there's no sense playing."

With Fleischmann out it appears as though Mathieu Perreault will move to the top-line center spot and Cody Eakin will be inserted into the lineup on the third line for his third-preseason appearance.

Semyon Varlamov will start tonight with Dany Sabourin serving as back up.

What a shame "Keith Aucoin will be put on waivers today, Boudreau said. If the veteran center clears waivers he will be assigned to Hershey" no way he clears waivers and we get to keep him. Nice to see MP getting a big shot tonight

I'm jealous that I can't make it to tonight's game. With Backs taking the break today we get to see how Perrault would fair as top line center. The second line is also a look into life without Flash. Add Backstrom, Fehr, and Hendricks (you were right cstanton1) to the opening day roster and we have a good team going into the season at forward.

Shopping for a 2nd line center would continue if things aren't looking good, as well as a top D. The only thing that worries me right now are some of the key injuries that some teams are suffering right now. We lost Semin to a high ankle sprain a couple of years ago in preseason.

BQ, you don't think Aucoin clears waivers? I know he's got some market value at the AHL level and sometimes teams will use the waiver wire to help their AHL teams. But at this time of the year, NHL teams worry more about their own cuts and players making it through. You also put yourself in the crosshairs of another GM when you pick up his player so it better be a worthwhile acquisition!

Would have really liked to have seen a 3rd line of Hendricks-Eakin-AGordon and 4th line of King-Steckle-Bradley. To me that would give two extremely gritty, in your face lines. Maybe those combos will be tried before the final line-ups are set for the season.

But yeah, that is EXACTLY how I would like to see our 3rd and 4th lines built. The 3rd line you mentioned would be a true energy line with players who are very effective down low in the off zone. And frankly, the better teams in this league field 3rd lines that are built to cycle the puck and create a lot of energy as well as offer some shutdown options for another team's top line. That would be my only reservation about a Hendricks-Eakin-AG line. Can they shut down the top line for another team? They're largely unproven for obvious reasons. (But Chimera and BGordon certainly don't offer us that capability either and they don't offer the energy/forechk capabilities of a Hendricks-Eakin-AG line).

The 4th line I think would be good for Steckel because he thrives when BOTH his wingers play the type of aggressive north-south game you're likely to see from Brads and DJ. And against certain teams you can always bring up Pinner and sit down DJ.

bqts - I seriously doubt anyone else is going to pick up Keith Aucoin. Teams have had shots at him the last couple of years and he goes unclaimed. Too few AHL teams will be willing to pay him what he will get paid in Hershey. The real worries will be if and when Andrew Gordon and Jay Beagle have to clear waivers. I think they are both at serious risk if the are exposed to waivers.

I think the odds are that AGordon gets claimed. He's got that Chris Kunitz trait where he's got quick hands, he's highly tenacious, and he's always buzzing around the net. Kunitz was a waiver wire pickup himself. TWICE! That kid made the nhl on pure desire and now has 2 Cups in 3 yrs to show for it.

cstanton1 & jbears1 , you both put forward very valid points and agree with you both. I am however smiling at "No, he is hurting," Boudreau said when asked if Fleischmann was injured. Can't wait to get to the phone booth, summer has been way too long this year. Drop the puck already !!!!!!

Add Backstrom, Fehr, and Hendricks (you were right cstanton1) to the opening day roster and we have a good team going into the season at forward.

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i'd rather take credit for AGordon than anyone else. I've been on his bandwagon for 3 straight yrs now :) Pinner for 2. I see both those kids as vital cogs in the future and I hope the Caps give them the chance to do it. With the logjam the way it is, makes me a little worried.

I'd be stunned if Aucoin gets picked up, for what he does and at that salary. Looking forward to seeing how Johannsson performs tonight - but I won't read too much into it if it's not great, I don't imagine Semin's the easiest guy to jump onto a line with, as for all his amazing talent.

I think one of the challenges of playing with Semin or Ovechkin is the potential for turnovers in the neutral zone. The center can't commit all the way to the offensive zone until the puck is inside the other team's blueline because those 2 players make some pretty bad turnovers trying to overhandle the puck sometimes in the neutral zone. Its high risk high reward.

Looks like MP is a last minute sub. Intriguing if they are thinking of putting Flash out with Ovie and Knuble thus solving the problem of who will center for Semin. Makes the top line a purely offensive line, though, while the second line will be pretty strong on both ends of the ice.

Sad about Aucoin - he's probably better right now that either Johannson or Perrault but the other two are "prospects" and he is not. I hope he gets a chance somewhere. Perhaps he should look to Europe, also.

I've never liked their passive PK style. If you look at teams that are good shorthanded they pretty much all seem to really put a lot of pressure on the opposition and don't let them get setup and comfortable.

Posted by: Stu_c

And they do it without over-committing their forwards. Meaning, its not just forwards who go blindly rushing to the point man and leaving a big gap in the middle where the other team's forward can now step away from the boards and occupy that spot for a good scoring chance. The effective PK forwards I've seen in the past have to be quick, aggressive, and physical when necessary. We have guys who are one or the other.

Which is why I'd like to see Pinizotto and Eakin get a chance. Eakin's not real physical but he reminds me of Todd Marchant. He's just physical enough to get the job done but he has great speed and takes a beeline right to the puck.

I watched a Bruins game last yr and two guys who some may consider "fringe" players were just rockin it on the PK. Steve Begin and Daniel Paille. And the one thing they both have in common besides knowing how to play along the boards is they both combine speed with ultimate aggression. If you make one mistake with the puck you're getting run over.

Begin's always been a hyper-aggressive player, back when he played for the Flames farm team and used to give the Caps farm team (Portland) real fits. He's the perfect type of 4th line player the Caps could've used at center, and he's been available.

Daniel Paille has had to change his game around to make it in the nhl. He used to be more of finesse scoring forward but since goals have been hard to come by in the nhl he has adjusted his game and is using his speed and strength to becoming more of a grinder.

I think that's exactly it, the neutral zone turnovers are a killer, your center really has to be responsible and know when it's okay to jump up. I'm not as down on Semin as some here maybe are, but one pet peeve is if he just played a little more give and go, instead of holding onto it so long. Especially in the neutral zone - he did that so well with Federov, it's the way they're taught to play over there [or used to be anyway], I don't understand why he holds onto it [just in the neutral zone though, let him do whatever he wants once it is in the offensive zone]. I feel like Ovie is much less guilty of this - or maybe it's just that, if he does turn it over, somebody's takin' a thumpin' in return!

I agree that Europe would be a good spot for Aucoin - big ice surface, half the games and a lot less wear and tear for somebody who's a 170 lbs soaking wet [which I'm not sure I even believe that figure].

If someone picks up Aucoin thats fine with me. I mean he's 30 years old, he's of no real benefit to the organization. More time is given to the younger players if a team picks him up. Im not saying I expect a team to pick him up but if someone does, its really not a big deal at all.

imo, the best thing to occur for the Caps would be to lose Aucoin. Then if MaJo plays for the Bears he can assume a major role at center on the top 2 lines and have wingers such as Kugryshev, Bouchard, AGordon, and Greentree to play between for next season. At least 3 of those 4 kids are considered prospects as well so it will help develop some good chemistry for down the road. Its time to change the guard at Hershey and for your young prospects to assume bigger roles.

Who knows, in 2 yrs our #2 line may be MaJo centering AGordon and Kugrshev or Fehr. One of em will have to switch to the left side of course.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that Aucoin is on a one-way contract of nearly $500,000. That alone should keep any team from picking him off waivers. If he has a two-way contract, I could see someone taking him and then trying to slip him onto their AHL team. I'm not sure the Caps would reclaim him or not if that scenario were to take place.

Checked in on poor old Alexandre Giroux out in Edmonton and he has zero points and 4 PIMs and has played in both of Edmonton's preseason games. The Oilers even won their last game 8-2 and Giroux didn't manage a point in over 11 minutes of ice time. This guys chances are running out.

@SAOTI. I will be for the first two periods. Friend gave me his tickets but I have a game myself tonight at 10:30 so I am going to have to leave early. I would have stayed had this been a regular season or playoff game. I will be at the whole game Friday against the Jackets.

If I am Steckel I would be worried about my spot on this team. His lack of speed, grit and talent compared to some of the bubble players could make him trade bait or a candidate for the the waiver wire on route to Hershey. Something has to give and Hendricks is playing his way into Steckel's job.

My understanding from one of the horses mouths was that Beagle was in the same boat as Gordon. I hope you guys are right. Andrew should be on the Caps now. There should not be a worry about waivers with him period.

iirc either 2 or 3 yrs ago Alex Giroux had a foot in the door to be on our 4th line to start the season. The Caps wanted more size and some more scoring ability on the team. All Giroux had to do was play a little physically and he was in. But he looked bad all preseason and ended up getting sent back to Hershey.

When he was with the Rangers they touted him as the next great power forward. And he looked the part. He got into some fights, he was hitting a lot. Then somewhere along the line he became more of a finesse AHL scorer. I attribute his original focus on being a power forward to the coaches he had in Hartford. Jim Schoenfeld and Ryan McGill, both very roughntumble NHLers who coached a very similar brand of hockey.

Once Giroux got out from under their tutelage, his game changed. Scored a few more goals, stopped being a power forward.

in his last few callups to the Caps, he actually started hitting again but by that point it seems we were looking for him to be more of a scorer. Funny how things work out.

"Proper diet is the number one thing NHL players and organizations don't pay enough attention to. It drives me crazy," says Roberts. "When I was in Tampa, we had four dessert options on the airplane! There was the cheesecake tray, the cookie tray, the ice cream tray, the little Smartie-Tootsie Roll tray. I'm thinking, 'Are we actually a professional hockey team?' If you ate all those things, you wouldn't wake up for three days! The biggest thing I'm teaching these guys is that you don't recover without proper nutrition. You will never make the gains you can make if you don't eat right.

he results, for many, were stunning. Gaunce lost 15 pounds in the first five weeks. When he did his fitness testing at the beginning of training camp in Colorado, his body fat had dropped six percent, and he had added three pounds of muscle mass. He won the Wingate anaerobic test and the long jump. He is, literally, a new man.

"I just feel so much stronger, so much quicker on the ice, it's amazing," says Gaunce.

Ditto for Stamkos, who blew his fellow trainees away with his strength.

"Everyone marks themselves against him," says Roberts. "They all want to know what he is squatting, how high he is jumping. You had guys like Del Zotto and Downie, who are no slouches, watching him, and just looking at each other, going "Holy S---!"

As a Bears fan I strongly disagree with the Aucoin takes. The guys is great around the younger players, comes out and plays hard every night, and is a great call up for injuries. Even if he is taking up a slot for a young guy, part of the AHL is having some "good to learn from" vets around to show the young ones the way to do things. Winning Calder Cups may not be important to the Caps fans but it is to us Bears fans and being in championship games is excellent experience for future Caps success.

If I am Steckel I would be worried about my spot on this team. His lack of speed, grit and talent compared to some of the bubble players could make him trade bait or a candidate for the the waiver wire on route to Hershey. Something has to give and Hendricks is playing his way into Steckel's job.

Posted by: t-bone67

I agree with this. The roster is getting crowded and with some players unable to be sent to Hershey without the threat of being picked up on waivers(or a player going back to Sweden) it wouldn't surprise me to see a small move made where a player, such as Steckel or BGordon, is traded for a draft pick(likely betwen a 3rd and 5th round or so).

and yet i don't consider Aucoin to be anything more than a depth forward at the nhl level and I'd be willing to throw some of our younger kids into the fire in Hershey to see how they respond. Not saying I want Aucoin gone, just that it wouldn't be the end of the world if it happened. And it shouldn't crush Hershey either. I understand losing Bourque, Amadio, Helmer, and Giroux will affect the Bears. But this yr you get to see a whole new crop of players. They may not win the Cup but it will still provide some entertaining hockey. I was hoping to see Della Rovere in a Bears jersey this yr though. Can you imagine both he, Bruess, and Boyd Kane or Rome on the same line?

Losing Aucoin would not be crushing to either the Caps or the Bears. But I think it would be more of a loss than some others think. Hershey will still be very good and in some respects maybe even a better rounded and deep team. I saw Della Rovere play and practice and was not blown away with what I saw. Plenty of grit in Hershey and hopefully some of it makes its way to the Caps - Pinner, Hendricks, Kane, Wellar, Beagle, Gordon, McNeill, and even Bouchard was getting downright nasty at times (I am sure I am missing some too)

it wouldn't surprise me to see a small move made where a player, such as Steckel or BGordon, is traded for a draft pick(likely betwen a 3rd and 5th round or so).

Posted by: sgm3 | September 28, 2010 1:12 PM

Not 2 of Bebe's Kids.....err BB's Kids. BB and GMGM would have an all out arguement fo sho if this happened. Something along the lines of...

BB: my kids, my kids. You have taken away my babies, give me back my babies.
GMGM: keep it up and Flash will be next.
BB: HOW DARE you! If you do that, I will give cstanton1 your home address, email and phone.
GMGM: oh you wanna play hardball huh? Maybe I'll trade Mike Green for a hulking blue liner. He!!, I'll even though in Brooksie for a pick or 2.
BB: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Plenty of grit in Hershey and hopefully some of it makes its way to the Caps - Pinner, Hendricks, Kane, Wellar, Beagle, Gordon, McNeill, and even Bouchard was getting downright nasty at times (I am sure I am missing some too)
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yeah i did see Bouchard mixing it up a little last yr. There was a play v the Baby Pens involving I think a hit by Zach Sill on Perrault and Bouchard came in with a nice slug to stick up for his linemate.

The other one you're missing is Ashton Rome. He's a strong skater and a strong kid. Threw some real thundering hits on the forecheck. The Bears got Simon Ferguson and Rome around the same time to fill the same kind of role, and Rome proved to be the better player and stuck around.

problem with Recker is, he's not even as good a hockey player as Grant McNeill is. And he's a decent but not great fighter. Very entertaining though.

If DJK goes down with an injury, I'd give McNeill a shot at the Caps before Rechlicz. For one, he's paid some serious dues for the organization. And two, he's just a better overall hockey player. And three, he can play defense in a pinch.

but i don't expect the Caps to fill DJK's role if he goes down with an injury.

1- Green/Schultz not looking great in our own end on a goal. Backstrom initially plays it too soft but then recovers and shows his strength along the boards as he pins his guy. Knuble late covering a man in front of the net but either way, our D is not in good position to defend. Hate the way the forward looks so uncovered right in front of our net.

3- Laich with a very nice bump on a Nashville point man to push him back out of our zone. I can count on one hand how many times I saw Caps players do this last yr where the dman fumbles the puck and the Caps forward plays the body instead of the puck.

4- the Pinner fight where Pinner takes off his helmet, a great gesture. His counterpart doesn't. And Pinner risks breaking his hand on the helmet.

5- McNeill v Belak. Must've been a long fight because they look tired. One of the greatest KO's in recent memory was Chris Simon (Rangers) knocking out a very young Grant McNeill (Panthers). Unbelievable coordination on the punch by Simon as he swings McNeill around and catches him with a hook to the jaw and drops him. McNeill had never been knocked out like that before. He pretty much ruled the WHL as a junior player.

Many fans are familiar with what the Blues traded away when they sent D.J. King to the Washington Capitals this offseason. They dealt a true heavyweight enforcer.

What some fans aren't quite as familiar with is what the Blues got in return in forward Stefan Della Rovere. A seventh-round pick of the Capitals in 2008, Della Rovere won't make his pro debut until he opens the season with the Blues' American Hockey League affiliate in Peoria.

Now 20, Della Rovere (5-foot-11, 200 pounds) spent the last four seasons with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. In 230 junior games, he posted 65 goals and 138 points, along with 479 penalty minutes. So the new Blues has got some offensive skill, but evidenced by his penalty minutes, he admits that he's part agitator and part enforcer.

He backed that up with a scrap against Dallas' Jordie Benn Sunday at the NHL prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich. The Blues are 1-1 at the tourney and have a day off on the schedule Monday before facing Detroit on Tuesday.

"I'm just a grinding, hard-working type of guy," Della Rovere said. "I have an offensive side, too, so I can play both sides. But my game is really to be an agitator out there, annoy the other team and be a little disturber. That's really my game, but at the same time, I want to try to produce offense and take care of my own end."

Who does Della Rovere compare his game to?

"You know, I try not to really compare myself to (the New Yorks Rangers') Sean Avery, but at the same time, maybe him," he said.

It's not hard to figure out why Della Rovere wouldn't want to compare himself to Avery. Avery has been known to go way over the line of decency a few times in his career. Remember a couple of years ago when Avery stood in front of New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur and waved his stick to distract the netminder?

"Oh no, no, I wouldn't do that . . . I know my limits," Della Rovere said. "But I just try to get in the other team's face, try to draw penalties and that sort of thing."

Re: Giroux
He needs to find another line of work. Several of us thought that he looked bored as h*ll 90 percent of the time in Hershey last year. If you can't get pumped up playing in the finals two years in a row, time to change jobs. Good riddance.

i think ted was always a bigger bball fan than he was a hockey fan. So I think if anything, he'll put his full energy into making the Wiz a good team.

and i also think as long as McPhee doesn't take (financial) risks and keeps this team fairly competitive, Ted will be happy even if we don't have deep playoff runs or win the Cup. If he can keep turning a profit and the arena is full on most nights and there's a buzz in the air, neither McPhee nor Bruce have to do anything more than a 2nd round appearance over the next few yrs for them to hold onto their jobs. The word "luck" has been thrown around so much lately that it will be used as the basis for why (if) the Caps don't go very far.

i got a salmon recipe that I want to try out soon. Someone I know got it while they were traveling thru Germany and made it for me once. Unfreakinbelievable. I think the salmon is poached in a Blue Slate Riesling and then of course the wine is served with it. That is one crisp dry wine, not like the Cali overly sweet Rieslings.

@cstanton1. Actually one the play you are talking about with Green and Schultz they were playing where you are taught to play these days. The D's job there is to try and take away the passing lane and make sure the guy can't sneak around either post for a wrap. I have noticed almost ever team in the NHL play this style now. The issue is the middle is normally the forwards guys (most times the center) but Backstrom was behind the net playing the puck which is fine. One of the two wings needed to cover the front at that time. Knuble was there in plenty of time but did not actually go and cover the man. That is where the issue happened. If Knuble covers the guy we have the posts and front covered the only open area is the point and I will take teams having to go to the point all game every game.

you guys watch Curb? I love that show. Larry David is my hero. I watched the episode last night where he's humming some Wagner and some hardcore Jewish guy goes off on him because Wagner was apparently a big anti-semite. Hilarious!

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